Will Smith (defensive end)
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Smith with the New Orleans Saints
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| Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | July 4, 1981 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Queens, New York, U.S. | ||||||||
| Date of death: | April 9, 2016 (aged 34) | ||||||||
| Place of death: | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 283 lb (128 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Utica (NY) Proctor | ||||||||
| College: | Ohio State | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2004 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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William Raymond Smith III (July 4, 1981 – April 9, 2016) was an American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Ohio State and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft, where he played for the entirety of his career.
Contents
Early years[edit]
Smith was born on the Fourth of July in Queens, New York to William and Lisa Smith.[1] He was raised in Utica, New York.[2] At Proctor High School in Utica, Smith was a USA Today All-American pick, and was rated by Prep Football Report as the best defensive line prospect in the state. As a senior, he had 20 sacks.
College career[edit]
Smith was a four year letterman at Ohio State from 2000-2003, he helped lead the Buckeyes to the 2002 BCS National Championship, and he was named a first-team All-American the following year.[3]
Professional career[edit]
| Ht | Wt | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | Wonderlic | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2¾ in | 267 lb | 4.05 s | 7.42 s | 38½ in | 9 ft 9 in | 30 reps | 23 | ||||||||||||
| All values from Ohio State Pro Day, except for 20-ss and Wonderlic, which are from NFL Combine | |||||||||||||||||||
430-pound bench press. 585-pound squat. 325-pound power clean.[4]
New Orleans Saints[edit]
Smith was selected as the 18th pick in the 1st round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. He had a successful rookie season with 30 tackles and 7.5 sacks. In 2005 he had 48 tackles and 8.5 sacks and played well enough that the Saints did not re-sign Darren Howard thus making Smith the starter opposite Charles Grant for the 2006 season. Smith gradually established himself as one of the premier defensive ends in the NFL.
In his first season as a full-time starter, Smith became a leader of the defensive line and emerged as one of the NFL’s top defensive ends. He was voted to the Pro Bowl and finished tied for 14th in the NFL with a career-best 10.5 sacks. Smith played in 14 games, sitting out the finale with the Saints having clinched a playoff berth and also missing one contest with a knee injury. The club’s No. 1 pick in 2004 was a force from his arrival in New Orleans, notching 33.5 sacks in four seasons. His 26.0 sacks in his first three season are the second-most in club history in so short a span (Charles Grant, 27.5, 2002–04). Smith brought energy, toughness and a hard-nosed approach to each game, setting the tone for the entire defensive front, and he was equally strong against the run and the pass. In his brief career, he played in 62 games and posted 215 tackles (156 solo) and 13 forced fumbles.
In 2006, he was named to his first Pro Bowl as a starter.
2004[edit]
Turned in a strong rookie year with 59 tackles (41 solo), 7.5 sacks, a team-high six forced fumbles and a fumble recovery... Played in all 16 games and started four, recording a sack in seven games...Sack total ranked second in the NFL among rookies and fourth in club history for a rookie...Came on strong over the last eight games with 36 tackles, 5.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery...Had six tackles (four solo), a sack and a forced fumble vs. San Francisco, Sept. 19...Had four tackles (all solo) and a sack at Atlanta, Nov. 28...First of a three-week stretch where he recorded a sack, including vs. Carolina, Dec 5 and at Dallas, Dec 12, when he also added a forced fumble...Dec 19 at Tampa Bay had a key forced fumble in the fourth quarter that set up a game-winning march. Also made a downfield block earlier in the quarter to spring WR Michael Lewis for a 53-yard punt return...Equaled season-high with eight stops (seven solo), 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble with a fumble recovery at Carolina, 1/2/05...Posted a forced fumble in each of last four contests, the first player in club history to do so in four-straight contests.
2005[edit]
Tied for eighth in the NFC with a team-leading 8.5 sacks, despite starting nine games and not becoming a full-time starter until the final six contests...Had at least one sack in six contests...Recorded 85 tackles, six pass defenses, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery...Tallied five tackles, a sack and a forced fumble at Carolina, Sept. 11. Marked the fifth-straight contest Smith had caused a fumble, the first player in club history to do so... Started at LDE vs. Atlanta, Oct 16 and had eight tackles and a sack...Top performance came at New England, Nov 20, with a career-high 12 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble against defending Super Bowl Champions ...Started at RDE at New York Jets, Nov 27 and responded with six tackles and a sack...Started at LDE vs. Detroit, Dec 24 and had six tackles, a sack and deflected a pass.
2006[edit]
Started 14 games at RDE, declared inactive vs. San Francisco, Dec 3, with a knee injury and vs. Carolina, Dec 31, with the Saints having clinched a playoff berth...Posted five or more tackles in seven contests...Ranked 14th in the NFL with a career-high 10.5 sacks and added 56 tackles (35 solo), two pass defenses, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery...Had a sack in each of the first three games, and added a fumble recovery at Green Bay, Sept. 17... Notched five stops, a career-high two sacks and a forced fumble at Tampa Bay, Nov. 5...Had a pair of sacks again at Atlanta, Nov 26 – where he also deflected a pass and forced a fumble – and had two more sacks at Dallas, Dec. 10…Was also a force in the postseason, with eight stops in the NFC Divisional Playoffs vs. Philadelphia and seven tackles at Chicago in the NFC Championship.
2007[edit]
Smith recorded a team high 7 sacks, 66 tackles and a safety. He sacked Carolina Panthers starting QB David Carr early in the season, ending Carr's season.
2008[edit]
The Saints agreed to terms with Smith on a six-year, $70 million contract with $26 million guaranteed. The deal made him the third highest paid defensive end in the NFL.
On December 2, 2008, Smith was one of six players suspended for use of Bumetanide a diuretic, which can be used as a masking agent for steroid use. It is believed that the diuretic was found in StarCaps, a weight-loss supplement that he had been taking. Smith's original punishment was announced as a four-game suspension, covering the final four games of the 2008 regular season.[5] Enforcement of the suspension was delayed as other players challenged the decision through federal and state courts, and the league allowed all players involved in the matter to continue playing pending a final resolution of the case.[6] Smith's suspension was later reduced to a two games and an additional two lost paychecks, and was served at the beginning of the 2011 NFL season.[7]
2009[edit]
Under new Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams, Smith had a solid year. He had a career high 13.0 sacks, 49 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, and one interception. He was honorable mention All-Pro by AP and SN.
2012[edit]
On May 2, 2012, Smith was suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the 2012 season because of his alleged role in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal.[8] Smith's suspension was ultimately overturned on appeal to former commissioner Paul Tagliabue.[9] Smith started all 16 games of the 2012 season, and was credited with 58 tackles and six sacks.
2013[edit]
For the 2013 season, Smith was slated to move to the outside linebacker position in the 3–4 defense favored by the Saints' new defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan. However, Smith suffered a knee injury (a torn ACL) in the Saints' third preseason game, against the Houston Texans on August 25, 2013, and was reported to be out for the season.[10] On August 27, the Saints placed Smith on injured reserve, ending his season.
On February 12, 2014, Smith was released by the team.[11]
New England Patriots[edit]
2014[edit]
On May 5, 2014, Smith signed with the New England Patriots[12] but on August 24, 2014 he was released.[13]
Career statistics[edit]
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| 2004 | NO | 16 | 40 | 30 | 10 | 7.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 2005 | NO | 16 | 60 | 48 | 12 | 8.5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 | NO | 14 | 49 | 31 | 18 | 10.5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007 | NO | 16 | 66 | 47 | 19 | 7.0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 2008 | NO | 16 | 61 | 43 | 18 | 3.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | NO | 16 | 49 | 37 | 12 | 13.0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | NO | 15 | 39 | 34 | 5 | 5.5 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | NO | 14 | 35 | 22 | 13 | 6.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | NO | 16 | 58 | 33 | 25 | 6.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | -- | 139 | 459 | 326 | 133 | 67.5 | 1 | 25 | 2 | 20 | 7 | 0 |
Personal life[edit]
Smith was married to Racquel (née Joseph).[14] They had two children together and he had another child from a previous relationship.[15]
Death[edit]
On April 9, 2016, in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans, Smith was involved in a traffic collision in which another vehicle, a Hummer H2 driven by 28-year-old Cardell Hayes, rear-ended Smith's Mercedes G63 SUV, causing a chain reaction with the vehicle in front of him. Smith was subsequently involved in a dispute with Hayes, who shot Smith. Smith died on the scene, while Racquel was injured from a shot in the leg.
Hayes was arrested, and the handgun was recovered.[16] After an investigation, the New Orleans Police Department charged Hayes with second degree murder.[17][18]
References[edit]
- ^ "Will Smith". Ohio State Buckeyes. Archived from the original on January 31, 2007.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints: Will Smith". New Orleans Saints. National Football League. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ OSU Athletics loses Will Smith - Ohio State Buckeyes.com
- ^ Saints 2004 Draft Day One
- ^ Six Players Suspended for Diuretics, The New York Times, Published: December 2, 2008.
- ^ Court clears way for NFL suspensions in StarCaps case, Associated Press (via USAtoday.com) Updated April 28, 2011.
- ^ NFL suspends Vikes' Williams, Saints' Smith in StarCaps case, nfl.com Updated: September 3, 2011.
- ^ Four suspended for Saints’ bounty program, Vilma for all of 2012 Pro Football Talk Posted on May 2, 2012.
- ^ "Saints player bounty suspensions overturned on appeal". NFL.com. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
- ^ Larry Holder, "New Orleans Saints veteran linebacker Will Smith will miss 2013 season with knee injury, source confirms", Times-Picayune, August 26, 2013.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints part ways with Jabari Greer, Roman Harper, Will Smith and Jonathan Vilma", NewOrleansSaints.com, February 12, 2014.
- ^ "Patriots sign DE Will Smith". New England Patriots.
- ^ "Patriots cut Tommy Kelly, Will Smith, James Anderson". NFL.com.
- ^ "Will Smith’s Wife Racquel Smith & Children". FabWags. Retrieved April 2016.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints: Will Smith".
- ^ Vergara, Andre (April 10, 2016). "Former Saints DE Will Smith dead after he and wife shot in road-rage attack". Fox Sports. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
- ^ Sayre, Katherine (April 10, 2016). "Will Smith shooting: What we know Sunday". Times-Picayune. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
- ^ Tim May (April 10, 2016). "Former Ohio State defensive end Will Smith shot to death in New Orleans; ex-teammates, coaches in shock". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Will Smith (defensive end). |
- 1981 births
- 2016 deaths
- American football defensive ends
- American football linebackers
- Deaths by firearm in Louisiana
- National Conference Pro Bowl players
- New England Patriots players
- New Orleans Saints players
- Ohio State Buckeyes football players
- Sportspeople from Utica, New York
- Players of American football from New York
- Sportspeople from Queens, New York
- Super Bowl champions
